Title: Song in the Dark
Author: Christine Howe
Publication: February 21, 2013 by Penguin Australia
Format, pages: Paperback, 216
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary
My Rating:  

From Goodreads:

Where do you end up when you have nowhere to go, and no one to turn to?

Paul isn’t thinking clearly. After destroying a series of relationships – with his friends, his flatmates, his mum – he finally hurts the one person he cares about most of all. And then he runs away.

An extraordinary and heartrending story of love, betrayal, addiction and hope.

Christine Howe’s debut novel Song in the Dark is a book of tough and mature themes definitely written for a mature young adult audience. It’s nice to know that some authors write to not squeeze into what’s popular within the age group such as young protagonists, cliched romances, and genre trends, but write matters that have meaning and levels of emotionality that you wouldn’t see elsewhere. Song in the Dark is one of those, but sadly for me, I didn’t quite connect with the book. I mean, it was good. But as it was written in third perspective it was hard to connect with our main character Paul as he hurts people he loves, family and friends, and runs away to recover at a rehab treatment centre for his marijuana addiction. I felt incredibly distant from him because of it; maybe it’s because I’m the polar opposite. If it were written in first there might’ve been a difference in the way I felt about this book. Despite it being short and a quick read I had skimmed about 30% of it and that’s really a shame.

Thanks to Penguin Australia via NetGalley for the egalley to review.

• • •

Title: Shadow Kiss, Vampire Academy #3
Author: Richelle Mead
Publication: November 13th, 2008 by Razorbill
Format, pages: Paperback, 348
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal, Romance
My Rating:  

From Goodreads:

It’s springtime at St. Vladimir’s Academy, and Rose Hathaway is this close to graduation. Since making her first Strigoi kills, Rose hasn’t been feeling quite right. She’s having dark thoughts, behaving erratically, and worst of all… might be seeing ghosts.

As Rose questions her sanity, new complications arise. Lissa has begun experimenting with her magic once more, their enemy Victor Dashkov might be set free, and Rose’s forbidden relationship with Dimitri is starting to heat up again. But when a deadly threat no one saw coming changes their entire world, Rose must put her own life on the line – and choose between the two people she loves most.

Richelle Mead has soooo many passionate fans the world over for her Vampire Academy series and I think I slowly am becoming one. I’ve taken my time – even if poorly – with this series and it’s a goal to finish the series this year. Shadow Kiss, the third instalment in the series, was packed with thrilling if not emotional moments, especially the ending between Lissa and Rose. It’s such a genuinely complex relationship between friends and one of the best I’ve read; there’s a lot of depth and history to their friendship that you don’t see anywhere else. It’s at that ending that it explodes and Rose and Lissa ricochet their own ways, and it’s funny how it’s both their faults. I look forward to reading the next three in this series following Rose and the path she takes to find Dimitri. This was a great instalment and the next books seem like they’re just going to cascade down on me.

• • •

Title: Pandemonium, Delirium #2
Author: Lauren Oliver
Publication: February 28th, 2012 by HarperCollins Children’s Books
Format, pages: Hardcover, 375
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Dystopia, Science Fiction, Romance
My Rating:  

“So what was your name before?” I say, and she freezes, her back to me. “Before you came to the Wilds, I mean.”For a moment she stands there.

Then she turns around.

“You might as well get used to it now,” she says with quite intensity.

“Everything you were, the life you had, the people you knew… dust.”

She shakes her head and says, a little more firmly, “There is no before. There is only now, and what comes next.”

After falling in love, Lena and Alex flee their oppressive society where love is outlawed and everyone must receive the “cure” – an operation that makes them immune to the delirium of love – but Lena alone manages to find her way to a community of resistance fighters. Although she is bereft without the boy she loves, her struggles seem to be leading her toward a new love.

Title: Life in Outer Space
Author: Melissa Keil
Publication: February 1st, 2012 by Hardie Grant Egmont
Format, pages: Paperback, 316
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Comedy
My Rating:  

From Goodreads:

Sam Kinnison is a geek, and he’s totally fine with that. He has his horror movies, his nerdy friends, World of Warcraft – and until Princess Leia turns up in his bedroom, he doesn’t have to worry about girls.

Then Sam meets Camilla. She’s beautiful, friendly and completely irrelevant to his life. Sam is determined to ignore her, except that Camilla has a life of her own – and she’s decided that he’s going to be part of it.

Sam believes that everything he needs to know he can learn from the movies … but now it looks like he’s been watching the wrong ones.

Melissa Keil’s debut novel Life in Outer Space has the heart and voice that many young adult contemporary romance novels lack. Hardie Grant Egmont’s Ampersand Project has surely delivered on what they set out to do, because a novel like Life in Outer Space deserves its space on the shelf for what it has brought to the Australian YA scene.

In Life in Outer Space, all Sam knows how to be is a geek – computer games like World of Warcraft and films, especially that of horror, is all he ever knows. That is until Camilla Carter, the new girl at Bowen Lakes Secondary College, enters his world, as if she has stepped outside some fictional universe. And when she does, a sequence of events unfold that forces Sam to step outside of his comfort zone and attempt to put things right – for himself, for his friends… and for Camilla Carter.

What I loved most about Life in Outer Space was the character of Sam and the world he responds to, his own geeky universe – he’s just extremely relatable. Keil’s prose brings Sam to life, making his voice believable, as well as making his heart go thump thump thump right out of the pages, forcing you to not let go of his breathing story. As he understands those around him you as the reader do too.

The impact Camilla and Sam’s friends have on him creates quite a few side quests for Sam to complete – like the many quests on World of Warcraft – with the main quest being connected to Camilla. It was a nice relationship to see develop, between someone who is not so confident, unsure and used to the things he knows and someone who is out there, willing to try new things, determined but holding back. Sam and Camilla influence one another to step out of their comfort zones and go for the big things in life, to step out of the shadows and into the light, to step out of the bedroom and into someone’s heart.

Life in Outer Space was one of my most anticipated books of 2013 and I’m happy that I was not let down by it. The story flowed naturally, coming together in the end well. This book was adorkable. And you’ll feel adorkable too, just as much as I was, even if you would not call yourself a dork, a nerd, or a geek. Sam will convert you. Have no fear. Come to the dark side, young padawan.

Thank you to Hardie Grant Egmont for the ARC to review.

Title: Level 2, The Memory Chronicles #1
Author: Lenore Appelhans
Publication: January 2nd, 2013 by Allen & Unwin
Format:, pages: Paperback, 281
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Contemporary, Romance
My Rating:  

From Goodreads:

Three levels. Two loves. One choice. Debut novelist, Lenore Appelhans has written a thrilling otherworldly young adult novel about a place that exists between our world (Level 1) and what comes after life (Level 2).

‘I pause to look around the hive – all the podlike chambers are lit up as the drones shoot up on memories … I’ve wanted to get out of here before, but now the tight quarters start to choke me. There has to be more to death than this.’

Felicia Ward is dead. Trapped in a stark white afterlife limbo, she spends endless days replaying memories, of her family, friends, boyfriend … and of the guy who broke her heart. The guy who has just broken into Level 2 to find her.

Felicia learns that a rebellion is brewing, and it seems she is the key. Suspended between heaven and earth, she must make a choice. Between two worlds, two lives and two loves.

Lenore Appelhans’s debut novel Level 2 is one not to be missed. The originality of the afterlife-limbo while waiting to enter Heaven is an aspect of Level 2 that will have paranormal-, and particularly angel-, obsessed readers reeling for more. This uniqueness stems from the slight science fiction/dystopia that Appelhans uses to characterise Level 2, the place between Earth (Level 1) and Heaven (Level 3). There are contemporary and romance elements that come from the reliving of memories, too, which find their way into Level 2 through Felica Ward, our protagonist. Level 2 is a book that will cater to many, and with the stunning cover design, it will have readers head over heels for this fresh young adult debut.

Of course, Level 2 is not all it seems. The marketing team behind Level 2 must have enjoyed twisting and shaping the book into something that it’s not. Firstly, there’s not really a love triangle as the synopsis suggests. If this was a ploy at getting the paranormal readership or just some trope-poking, then they did a good job at it – being mean is not my specialty… but they fell flat with that. Secondly, at first glance I believed Level 2 was a science fiction-dystopia novel and it seems as though it was pushed unbelievably far to reach the current market and the current, but slowly fading, trends. Upon reading, it was a disappointment to find that, even though there are elements of a sci-fi world with the pods that are able to retrieve memories and the Scanners, the mechanical guards of Level 2 you could say, it fell by the wayside and left me, an avid science fiction and fantasy reader, wanting more than what was promised. That’s what marketing is all about, isn’t it? Trying to cater to the majority. Level 2 is a hybrid, so all its elements taken from the variably different and opposing genres are balanced, but if you’re holding out for one over the other, you’ll find yourself disappointed in those elements you don’t care much for.

Although we get to see Felicia Ward’s time on Earth before Level 2 – where everything is dull and whitewashed and structured – through memories, I didn’t find myself all that invested in her story (except that I was jealous of all the places around the world she has been to). Appelhans, through the retrieval of memories, gives depth to Felicia’s character and allows the reader to observe her past – her troubling and traumatic experiences and her dear and fondest memories – that lead to her death and deposition in Level 2. This device was executed considerably well (maybe because it reminded me of Assassin’s Creed to some degree), but Felicia became annoying when all she wants to do is return to her boyfriend Neil, who, apparently, is still on Earth. Julian, somebody from her past who attempts to vie for her affections on Level 2 and who also is a member of the upcoming rebellion against the Morati, the angels, the law enforcers of Level 2, coaxes Felicia into joining them by promising that he’ll help her get back to Neil. Yes, this is young adult and a part-romance, but this was a device I found to have held no real merit except to give Felicia something to leave her pod for to make reality than just constantly replaying the memories with him. Is Felicia going to bring down the Morati or leave it all behind to just be with Neil, even after everything she learns about both? Young adult. Hah!

I hope in the sequel Level 3 that more focus is centred on the dystopia plot and rebellion against the Morati. That’s a personal taste, but I do also believe it’s what the series needs – it needs more world-building considering ‘Level 2′ was bland, but since it seems as though we will be journeying on to Heaven, Level 3, there may be just what I hope there is. A fault of the development on Level 2 may be attributed to some short cuts taken by Appelhans, such as the supposedly magical ability to just ‘think’ or ‘imagine’ what you want to see and you will see it. Appelhans has developed an engrossing new world, and although it needs more contextual and physical layers, I will certainly be back to experience the Levels again in Level 3. (Appelhans was a wonderful book blogger too before becoming a debut novelist, so of course I’m going to support this gem.)

A big thank you to Allen & Unwin for providing a copy to review.

What others have said about this book:

Danielle @ Alpha Reader:

Appelhan’s book is clever, that’s for sure. The memory-limbo stuff is in another Dystopian stratosphere entirely, and it’s the kind of thoughtful sci-fi plot that will have readers chewing over for days.

April @ Good Books & Good Wine:

I do hope you all check out and read Level 2. It’s very swoonworthy, breakneck paced, with an interesting concept of the afterlife… this is one hell of a debut so get off your butt and check it out like right this second.

Books in this series:

1. Level 2 (January 2013)
2. Level 3 (January 2014)

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins was one of those books that even though every single damned one of you raved about it, I had no obligation to immediately read it. Of course, that’s what occurs with most of the raved about contemporaries; they are – to be completely honest – rarely on my wishlist save for those written by those godly Aussies or those books I know I will adore. One thing that was against Anna and the French Kiss was that it is a contemporary romance. Yep. That word. Of course #2, YA is built upon young love – well, in most of what comes out these days…

Although being one of a rare kind of “boy” Aussie bloggers has its perks (I’d list them but I’d lose count of them all ), it also comes with a lot of guilt, and shame, and times when I feel like a downright outcast – yes, having not touched Anna and the French Kiss there were times I felt like I was missing out on something (and obviously that is like… uh… the last resort of emotion). But through peer pressure, threats, harassment and a ton of girl power – Oh, and Sarah’s money! – I’ve finally begun reading this book you all heart with a passion. Just don’t expect me to be swooning over your Etienne so soon; I’m real and been to Paris!

So I shall begin my random commentary for Anna and the French Kiss – obviously it’s going to be more sarcastic and humorous than what I would say if I was having a full blown love affair with the book and saying every damn positive thing in the English dictionary. I will be doing a post every five chapters. And so this post is for the first five chapters. Enjoy! (Please don’t. I mean it!)

__________

Chapter 1

I opened and read the first page and was surprised at how witty Stephanie Perkins’s writing was and how individualised Anna’s voice was.

The first paragraph has to be such a great opener for any novel. However I have to disagree that there are mimes – I saw none while I was in Paris (of course it’s an odd and bold statement to me), but then I forget Anna is only talking about what she thinks Paris has and what Paris is all about. Oh, one more thing! The food is good, not ’the food is supposed to be good…’

Anna’s dad… Nicholas Sparks, anyone? The ladies apparently “eat it up”.But I don’t think Nicholas Sparks wears cable-knit sweaters, has a bleachy smile and orangey tan, and is also a total dick.

Now, don’t get me wrong, Anna calls her dad uncultured… but she thought ‘oui’ was spelt ‘wee’. *cough* *laugh* Alright, I’m harsh!

Who sends their kid to boarding school? It’s so Hogwarts. Only mine doesn’t have cute boy wizards or magic candy or flying lessons. Sucks to be you Anna. But honestly, these have got to be the best lines in this book so far. However, she says ‘it’s so Hogwarts’ like she hates Hogwarts… I’d love to be at Hogwarts! Anna so doesn’t. (Yes I feel like I’m twisting the meaning so much.) Hahaha!

On page 6 I can already see that she cares a lot for her brother… or was it their pet(s) a few pages on?

Ummm… a woman belting out operatic across the street? Bit too farfetched.

Anna’s father is obviously a dick (see above) but he has something right: to watch out for pickpockets. Pickpockets… GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! No, I haven’t had anything stolen or pickpocketed, but sister and I had close encounter in Starbucks as had some others. You need no hear though.

At the end of chapter 1 I’ve come to the conclusion that Anna’s parents hate her. They’ve left her in Paris. CITY OF BUSYBUSY!

Chapter 2

If I had written this book I would have written aubergine instead of eggplant being in France, as later on she correctly says escargot for snails – here’s me being critical again. Shut up Braiden!

Anna’s crying. All I could do was laugh.

French fail! “A chocolate show?” No you ning nang nong… chocolat chaud! Oh yeah she’s a beginner. Still…

Stephanie Perkins has the description of the rooms utterly perfect. Sister and I stayed in someone’s two-room apartment just over Sacre Couer and the toilet was  not in the apartment but in a separate room across the tiny hallway. Just imagine when I stayed home one night and there was only one key… and you needed the key to open it both inside and out… yep. I resorted to the smallest shower I have ever been in But unlike the toilets in this book that are shared, our toilet was the apartment’s toilet and nobody elses.

 Alright moving on to when Anna bumps into Etienne… All I could think was, “I wish I had that type of hair.” That ‘artist’s hair’, that ‘musician’s hair’, that ‘I=pretend-I-don’t-care-but-I-really-do hair’ in which Anna describes his hair. Life is really unfair! *cry*

But wait, a paragraph to just further compliment his hair: Beautiful hair. iuyfiyf;iuv;iyb;iobiogoigougo *cry more*

Anna confused. I’ve got to get used to these wtf-ery moments.

Eh-t-yen says my name like this: Ah-na. Hahahahahahahaha!

Chapter 3

When she talks about the Latin Quarter…. OH THE MEMORIES! (Just so you know Paris wasn’t my favourite city but it sure is memorable and has great moments.)

I was on “vacation” and I didn’t buy an Eiffel Tower keyring. Another misconception. BUT I DID EAT SNAILS – ESCARGOTS – AND THEY WERE DELICIOUS. Also had them at a well-known not-so-cheap brasserie in St. Germain: Lipp. Worth it so much.

So yeah… normal stuff happens here. Boring getting to know you scenes/meet the other characters. I’m reading this for more of Paris not for major staring.

Etienne teaches Anna how to read off the menu… she must be extremely dumb – well, that’s how I see it! Damsel in distress sort of thing.

More staring. *rolls eyes*

Chapter 4

[Didn’t note down much in these next two chapters.]

…when Anna realises she’d be a lot happier if she were like Jon Snow – a bastard.

I laughed with these sentences because they were just… sooooo… intense… *rolls eyes again* - The grape brushes my lower lower lip as he slides it in. [One eyebrow raise.] It explodes in my mouth, and I’m so startled by the juice that I nearly spit it out. [Second eyebrow raises and gag reflex kicks in.] The flavor is intense, more like grape candy than actual fruit. [I’m sure...] To say I’ve tasted nothing like before it an understatement. [I’m sure, I’m sure it is...]

I see foreshadowing going on: I’m a bad kisser. I am, I must be. THEN HOW DO YOU GET THIS “FRENCH KISS” THAT’S IN THE TITLE? I guess I have to wait. Too bad for the moment she lurks through those memories of her past failure boyfriends

What my parents never considered is that I just wanted a choice. <333 YYYYEEEEESSSSS! Perfect line to end a chapter.

Chapter 5

I just added Like Water for Chocolate to my wishlist. When Anna says there’s sex, LOTS of sex in it… you can take that to mean: THIS IS PORN! And obviously she wants to tell Bridge about this book.

”So you’re the new Brandon,” Amanda says. Close to Braiden. I can live with that. Well not close close, just two letters out. Still similar in a way.

”Does it look like I care? Skunk girl?” Pepe le Pew? No wonder why Anna gets the french kiss (which I still don’t see and haven’t come across yet).

 __________

Keep watch for Thought Commentary for chapters 6-10 of Anna and the French Kiss. Hopefully there’s Eiffel Tower or Notre Dame soon… I want to spam photos through the commentary

Title: Everything Left Unsaid
Author: Jessica Davidson
Publication: August 1, 2012 by Pan Macmillan Australia
Format, pages: Paperback (ARC), 305
Age Group: Young Adult, 15+
Genre: Contemporary
My Rating:  

“I wait for him, the cold seeping through my clothes, until it finally dawns on me that he’s not coming back. And I wonder why he chose her instead of me? Why he went looking for her when I was right there.”

Tai and Juliet have been best friends forever – since they met at kindy and decided to get married in first grade.

They understand each other in the way that only best friends can.

They love music, beach walks, energy drinks and, they are slowly discovering, each other.

As they dream of adventures beyond the HSC – a future free of homework, curfews and parents, a life together – their plans are suddenly and dramatically derailed.

For Tai is sick.

And not everything you wish for can come true.

A poignant story of first love, hope, grief, family, and the twistedness of life.

Goodreads || Fishpond

Everything Left Unsaid by Australian author Jessica Davidson was a poignant read that will teach you a thing or two about life, the power of choice, and the effect those choices can have on the people you may leave behind. Going into this book I knew what it would involve and ultimately how it will end. Everything Left Unsaid has characters that you can’t help but to immediately want to read about and as the book goes on you fall in love with them too no matter what their situation is by the end of the book. This book is one for contemporary-romance lovers.

Although they have been friends since they were young and did everything two young best friends would do, it was guaranteed that Juliet and Tai would begin to like the other as more than a friend. But after they confess their liking for each other and everything seems perfect in those moments together amid Year 12, exams, planning for Schoolies, their career, and their future, Tai is delivered devastating news that not only interferes with his future and his family, but also rocks his relationship with Juliet. Both Juliet and Tai have to make choices—and what good are choices when in some instances either one will lead to the same outcome. This story is about acceptance, choice, love, and most importantly life.

Juliet and Tai’s relationship was built upon childhood memories so it was truly believable from the moment Juliet tells Tai that she likes him. There is complete respect and understanding between the two; it is something that many romance-driven stories fail to achieve. Although their relationship sails through rocky times when Tai is diagnosed and becomes reclusive and hopeless, distancing himself from Juliet to not hurt her anymore, Juliet continues to support him. It got frustrating at times because Juliet would not know what Tai’s intentions were and vice versa, but we as the reader did since this story is told through both perspectives. You just want to shake Tai out of his gloom. But it is this gloom and yearning that makes this story and these characters so real and relatable. I personally haven’t had anyone I know go through cancer—or at least someone so close to me—but I understand that those periods of reclusion and uselessness are both key to bringing about self-acceptance. And it’s not just Juliet and Tai but also their families that pulled my heart; I found myself really gutted over Tai’s younger brothers as they were left in the dark for most of the time as to what was happening.

There is no happy ending here, but for someone looking for something a bit more emotional than your average boy-meets-girl contemporary read then this is the perfect book for you.

What others have been saying:

Celine of Forget-Me-Not (click for review) :

Beautifully written and heart-breaking, Everything Left Unsaid was a beautiful and unforgettable read.

Mandee of Vegan YA Nerds (click for review):

Everything Left Unsaid is a bittersweet story of best friends, first loves and a young man’s battle with a terminal illness. It has a classic Australian feel to it and I know it will please fans of contemporary YA fiction.

The Beginning of After by Jennifer Castle
To be published September 6, 2011 by HarperTeen
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
432 pages
Goodreads | Book Depository

My rating: Unrated – Not finished.

Anyone who’s had something truly crappy happen to them will tell you: It’s all about Before and After. What I’m talking about here is the ka-pow, shake-you-to-your-core-and-turn-your-bones-to-plastic kind of crappy.

Sixteen-year-old Laurel’s world changes instantly when her parents and brother are killed in a terrible car accident. Behind the wheel is the father of her bad-boy neighbor, David Kaufman, whose mother is also killed. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Laurel navigates a new reality in which she and her best friend grow apart, boys may or may not be approaching her out of pity, overpowering memories lurk everywhere, and Mr. Kaufman is comatose but still very much alive. Through it all there is David, who swoops in and out of Laurel’s life and to whom she finds herself attracted against her better judgment. She will forever be connected to him by their mutual loss—a connection that will change them both in unexpected ways.

I usually don’t like not finishing a book. In this case however, I approve myself that it’s fine. I had many issues with this book from the 100 or so pages I had read, which then I couldn’t go on any further wasting my time on it.

The Beginning of After from what I’ve read is about Laurel whose parents and brother die in a car accident and then. . .life goes on as it usually does. That’s all I had come out from the hundred pages I had read. Let’s get this straight! If your family is killed and your still alive, wouldn’t you go into some state of shock, depression or other emotional turmoil or grief because of it? Alas! Laurel is in the middle of taking her SATs so she is free of those pressures on her educational life and . . .Oh yes! Her social life too. Yes everyone around her, friends, teachers, etc. felt sorry for her, but I don’t think she felt sorry for herself. That’s not the right way to say it; There was no genuine depth to her emotions. She wanted to sit her SATs because. . .it was the reason why she wasn’t with her family and they weren’t still alive. Yeah. Pity in its lowest forms.

I believe Jennifer Castle had a good prose, and may have executed it more effectively in a story that didn’t ‘begin’ because of a death of one’s family. I don’t think her writing was best suited for this theme. There was nothing entirely touching or thought-provoking about it and as I said, there was no real emotion coming out of those words and as a consequence, from the characters; from Laurel. It’s a real shame. At times, I too became confused. The transitioning between scenes was washy, and the flash-backs and reflections held really no significance to what if I were in the position, of what I would’ve remembered about my father, my mother, and brother. It would’ve been characteristics and what I’ll miss about them, not tell a story about them and their jobs etc. It just wasn’t executed well enough to be read any further. I hate myself for thinking like this, but hey, I was given this for an honest review in return and I’m giving it.

Wouldn’t you be so unstable after a tragic accident such as that and deny going out anywhere, and most definitely not attend a prom! You have to keep living despite whatever setbacks are inflicted upon you as our dear old favourite philosopher Socrates says, but seriously, nothing felt truthful or real in this book. Laurel may have moved on and got with the boy and went to the prom and all this other fluffy stuff that teenagers do etc., but she moved on awfully fast. Hence, no emotional depth.

I’ll leave it at that so I don’t ramble on for any longer on a book I had not finished, and a book I did not enjoy.